Arakawa River Embankment & Skyline

The Arakawa Embankment

A broad, grass-topped levee rises along the eastern bank of the Arakawa River at Komatsugawa, part of the wide flood-control corridor that runs the length of Tokyo's largest river. Wooden staircases climb the sloped turf down to a paved riverside path, while rows of baseball diamonds occupy the flat kasenjiki grounds below, a favorite gathering spot for local leagues.

The Central Circular Expressway

An elevated expressway viaduct spans the river in the middle distance, carrying the Shuto Expressway's Central Circular Route on tall concrete piers. Streetlights trace its gently arcing deck from bank to bank, and a steady stream of headlamps and taillights marks the unbroken flow of traffic along one of the capital's busiest ring roads.

Komatsugawa & the Riverside Skyline

Beyond the water, the Koto shoreline rises into a dense skyline of mid-rise apartment blocks and scattered towers, framed by the reeds and low vegetation lining the Edogawa bank. The camera's fixed, wide vantage keeps this whole stretch of river, embankment, and skyline in view, an unbroken window onto eastern Tokyo's flood plain.